Roma suffer Dybala blow with forward sidelined due to surgery

AS Roma forward Paulo Dybala will potentially miss the rest of the season after the Serie A club said on Thursday that the 31-year-old would undergo surgery on his thigh.

Dybala has eight goals and four assists in all competitions this season and last played in a 1-0 win against Cagliari last weekend.

"Paulo Dybala will undergo surgery in the coming days following an injury to his left semitendinosus tendon," Roma said in a statement.

"The player and the club have mutually agreed that this is the best course of action for an optimal recovery."

Although Roma did not give a timeline for his return, surgery on the semitendinosus tendon usually requires at least three months of recovery.

Roma have been resurgent in Serie A since the arrival of Claudio Ranieri as manager in November, moving up from 12th to seventh in the league as they seek a return to European competition once again next season.

They sit three points behind fifth-placed Juventus and four off fourth-placed Bologna.

They next travel to Lecce on March 29, after the international break.